Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-03-02
ANECDOTES OF BLITz.
Amusing Stories OF a Once Noted
and Prominent Coajurer.
How He Fooled the Appie-womsu Who
stood In Front OF Stewards Store,
and Was Considered Mascot
by the Great Merchant.
IChic2go Ncws.1


Away back in the sos, when street min
strelsy was more prevalent than it is to-
day, man, long famed as the wonder OF
experts for his adroit and deceptive trick
cry, performing such apparent impossible
tiles before the staring eyes of thousands
that he was attributed by the more igno-
rant as possessing intimate relationship
with the imp of darkness, was also a we'll
known character about the streets of New
York. This peculiar being was Sidney
Blitz, still held in mind by citizens living
at the time. He was shrewd and cunning,
with little education, but generous sup
ply Of experience, common sense and
knowledge Of human nature.
One of his most famous public exhibi-
tions was to weak down Chatham street,
with cavalry sword strapped to his belt,
accompanied by boy carrying an ordi
nary-looking willow clothes basket. Ar
irving at the Bowery corner, ''Sid" would
commence an harangue as though he had
merchandise to sell, first performing few
interesting feats, just for the benefit of the
public. Taking the basket from the hands
of his boy assistant, he would hold il aloft,
turning it about that all might see its COM
mon structure, then set it down, bottom
upward, in the street, enjoining the sur
roun ding audience 10 see that no one ap-
preached where it stood. His next move
was to speak to the boy, calling him to his
side. Receiving no reply, he discovered,
to his own embarrassment and the disap-
poiniment of the crowd, that the boy had
''sloped" and hid himself from view No
amount of calling, hunting or searching,
even by the anxious lookers-on, could find
where he had concealed himself. Finally,
when the people were ready to turn away
;,,I ho;, -, /.
pectation of seeing some remarkable show,
Blitz would cry out: "Never mind good
friends, if the boy has given me the slip,
I'll play the trick without him"
With this he would take up the basket
again when, beholdl out would pop the
boy from beneath. Grabbing the scamp
before he could make his escape, Blitz
would give him couple of cuffs about the
ears, accompanying the boxing with angry
words and ending the drubbing with
chucking the Lad back under the basket
and telling him he could stay there now
for not letting the people know where he
was hid when everybody was hunting him.
OF course, the boy would squirm and
struggle to get out, bat Blitz, thoroughly
mad, would climb upon the basket on his
knees, saying: You little rogue, if you
don't keep quiet I'll fix youl' With that
and the boy ecn tiduing his struggles, Blitz
would thrust the sharp blade into the side
of the basket repeatedly. The boy would
yell with pain, crying ''Murderr' and
'Help!" while the infuriated master ex-
claimed: ''rll kill you," and kept thrust
ing the blade into the poor boys body.
The crowd, aroused at such inhuman
brutality. would rush forward to rescue
the boy from apparent death, when the
basket, being overturned, would be found
to be empty. The excited mob. supposing
that Blitz had murdered the boy and dis
posed Of him by his sorcery, would be
about to wreak vengeance upon his per-
son, when he once more lifted the basket
and disclosed the assistant alive and un-
hurt. Not until the very last develop
ment of the trick was it evident that the
senses of hundred people had been
juggled.
One day Sidney Blitz, Ned Harrigan, Of
minstrel fame, and Tony Pastor were lean
ing against the door-posts of the Astor
House, watching Stewards apple-woman
attending to her trade, when one of
them suggested that Blitz play some
trick on her. Now, if there was any
thing Sid loved it was a practical
joke. So, moving across the street, his
companions remaining at a distance, he
sauntered up to old Margeret and paid her
twenty-five cents for four large apples.
Then to see if they were rotten at the core,
he said, he would just cut one open, when,
as he did so, out rolled silver half-dollar
OF course, Mag's sharp eyes saw the
money, and instantly looking up into Sid's
face with bland and half-apologetic
smile, characteristic of her race, ex-
claimed: "Why, dhat's the same PAIGE Oh
r,,,f fhos ~ ~, - l.
ago. Oh jess sthuck it in the sod fur safe
kapin', an didn't know dhat wuz the
apple at all. Oi know yez'll give it me-
yez is too much gentleman to kape bit
of money frum an ould woman loil1 dhat,"
pleaded she, holding out her wrinkled
hand imploringly. But Blitz replied: "Oh,
no, madam; / bought this apple, and
every thing in it is mine now"
'Och, an yez woulddhn't be ez name CT
dhat. Give it to me now, it's moine," with
tears gathering in her sunlzen eyes.
But Blitz still tortured her by refusing
to hand over the silver. Then, dividing
another apple to see if it was good, anoth-
er half-dollar was discovered. BY this
time a little group, attracted by the dis
cussion, had gathered around to observe
what was going on. Among them Sid's
friends, Ned and Tony, elbowed their way
TO the front and took sides with the apple
woman, insisting that Blitz should return
the money. This encouraged Mag, and she
redoubled her weeping entreaties. When
the second piece had been laid open she
said: "An' dhat's t'other one Oh Jess
he'd tho two paices, an sthuck thin
in THAR to kape ony wun from
stahlin' thin. You're a noice man, an Oi
know yez'll give 'em to me-" But Blitz
paid no heed to her barney and went right
ahead carving the two remaining apples,
both of which contained fifty-cent pieces.
II was evident to the bystanders now that
old Mag had not known of the existence of
the money. Adding astonishment to sur
prise, Sidney proceeded to quarter the
halves, and discovered fifty-oent piece in
each half. Holding the four halves and
eight quarters out in his hand Nc bade the
apple woman goodbye and walked awav.
Everybody now wanted to buy apples, but
old Mag wouldn't sell one and. covering
the tray completely over, she herself
stopped under the cloth and went to work
halving her remaining store of fruit in
search Of money. OF course she found
none, and was sorely put out at being SO
How Mark Twain Made Amends.
Hartford Lctter.l
II is said once when Mr.. Clemens Mark
rwain). at the solicitation of his wife.
yllled on Mrs Stowe, he was SO absent
minded as to put on neither collar nor
LecAile. On Mrs Clemens demonstrating
IN hfo rafrrv-, ho -. x--<,,,.l